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T O P I C R E V I E W

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Posted - 19 September 2008 : 21:39:19 The Parish of Bowden, near Melrose, has an ancient history with a church in the vicinity for at least 850 years. In the 14th century an account from the monks at Kelso recorded Bowden as having 36 cottages and 4 brew houses !

Notable Bowden people include Sir Lauder Brunton who pioneered the use of amyl nitrate for heart condition treatment, Andrew Scott the poet and Lady Grisell Baillie, first female deaconess in the Church of Scotland. The introduction also cites some detail from JSM McDonald's publication 'Bowden Kirk 1128-1978' including an amusing anecdote relating to the Reverend William Balfour, his mother and 'the drink' - not a recommended combination!

The gravestones of the Kirk have been carefully 'plotted' and recorded by volunteers providing a wealth of detail on those families associated with the parish. Over and above this the publication has fascinating detail on school records from the 19th century, Militia lists from the Napoleonic wars and Hearth tax records.

The list of family names is long and varied ranging from Baillie to Dalgleish to Kerr to Turnbull. In total the Society have recorded over 300 gravestone inscriptions.